Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Space Enforcers
by Starlighz
Summary: Ash an Pikachu are magically transported to the world of only Pokemon and are separated. Ash has amnesia and Pikachu is who-knows-where. Will Ash and his new partner Cinder, break Ash's amnesia and save the Pokemon world, as well as finding Pikachu?
1. Chapter 1

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Space Enforcers**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its content. The right belongs to Nintendo.**

**AN: Hi guys, I'm back! I finally found the strength inside of me to continue writing! Special thanks to Soldier of the Future for beta-reading my story! I hope you enjoy my story. Also, Pokémon will learn some moves that they would not have been able to learn before. But they will all be reasonable. It's not like I would let a Turtwig learn Roar of Time. Some Pokémon would learn moves before they would learn it as well. Enjoy!**

**BR/N: Sorry if my editing isn't at top notch. Just finished exams and I'm not exactly in the sharpest ability and mood to edit things effectively here. But I performed to the best of my abilities so I hope you all enjoy this update. Oh and while I am at it, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.**

* * *

Hill Overlooking Pallet Town; Kanto Region

"Pikachu, where should we go next?" an extremely tired raven-haired boy asked his yellow furred friend, who was currently in a slumped position on his right shoulder.

"_That depends on your decision Ash,_" Pikachu replied tiredly and in a barely audible tone. "_We've gone through nearly every region. There aren't many regions left for us to explore."_

"I know Pikachu, but I want to do something else for a change. It seems that we follow the same pattern with every journey to take; we travel to a new region, we win the gyms, then we lose miserably in the league. Maybe we should do something fresh and new for a change."

"_Sleep on it Ash, listen to your heart as you always have, and remember that I will always support your decision, no matter what as long as it does not involve putting me in a Pokeball,"_ Pikachu replied, the thought of being crammed into a Pokeball frightening him to immeasurable levels.

"You're right, Pikachu, I have to listen to my heart, we are going to be the best there ever was!" Ash explained as he pumped his fist in the air with a great and rather obvious display of confidence. "Race you back home?"

"_Get ready to lose Ash!_" Pikachu laughed as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder onto the grassy hill they were sitting on, his tiredness disappearing almost instantly at the thought of not being bored out of mind for once. The two companions started running down the hill grinning, knowing that they would never be alone regardless of the circumstances.

On their way back to their destination, the duo decided to go to Professor Oak's lab to visit the two Oaks and the Pokémon that resided there. Ash barged through the lab's door and ran straight towards the ranch were his Pokémon were currently all living at. Gary simply stood there and shook his head upon witnessing his former rival still displaying rather childish traits.

"I guess things never change, huh Umbreon?" Gary asked with a dumbfounded voice to his ever faithful partner with a dumbfounded voice.

"_Ash is such a kid. Getting runner up in the Unova League must've boosted his ego a lot. I think we should knock him down a bit._" Umbreon muttered back with a sneer. Gary did not understand a word his partner said, but he got the general idea. Gary smiled, and walked on over to the ranch, where he was currently conversing with his Pokemon.

"Hey Ashy-Boy," Gary said with the signature snide smirk on his face he was well known for. "I challenge you to a battle! I hope your skills are top notch ever since our last showdown at the Silver Conference!"

"You're on Gary!" Ash returned his acceptance of the challenge with excitement. Gary beat him once after he beat the Battle Frontier pretty easily, so he would have to be careful.

"_Ash, I'll challenge him,_" Pikachu advised. "_I want a rematch against him_."

"You got it Pikachu, you're up!" Ash said.

"A fine selection Ash, but rather predictable. In that case…" Gary complimented as he enlarged a Pokeball in his hand. "I choose you, Electivire!" As the capsule opened up and shot forth a streak of silver light, a large and formidable-looking yellow Pokémon with two plug-like tails materialized onto the grass as it emitted a low chuckle.

Ash, seizing the initiative called out to his Pokémon "Pikachu, let's start this off with Quick Attack!" Instantly, Pikachu ran at Electivire at speeds that couldn't be followed or pinpointed by the naked eye. Gary realized that his Thunderbolt Pokémon wouldn't be able to dodge something that speedy, but he knew his Electivire was more than capable of stopping it.

"Electivire, halt Pikachu's charge with Thunderbolt!" Gary shouted. Electivire quickly complied with the order as it shot out one very powerful electric blast of blue-colored lightning at the yellow rodent.

"Pikachu, spin!" Ash commanded with retaliation. But instead on spinning away from the electricity current, he flew right into it. Since the initial spin disrupted the direction of the Thunderbolt, the electric blast parted and allowed Pikachu to pass through his adversary's defenses unscathed. Pikachu rammed into Electivire with so much force that it fell down as if it was struck by a battering ram. Not eager to fall to something as trivial as a Quick Attack, Electivire returned to its feet and sparked its two tails ferociously.

"Hmm… so you did get better Ash but still, I've got my own cards to play. Electivire, strike Pikachu down with Hyper Beam!" Electivire then unleashed an aurora-colored beam directed straight towards Pikachu. But, before the battle could continue, an empty yet multicolored wormhole appeared out of nowhere sucked up Pikachu into the vortex. Ash, shocked with complete disbelief, was not able to comprehend with what he had just seen. Before he could decide on what to do, another wormhole appeared and vacuumed Ash up and closed just as fast it had appeared moments ago.

"Well, that's not something you see every day…" Gary said, speechless.

"_Do you think we should look for them?_" Umbreon recommended, feeling slightly concerned for Gary's former rival.

Professor Oak's grandson shook his head. "I doubt there'll be a need. They always get into this sort of trouble, I don't think it would matter if we look for them or not, he'll come back."

"_I hope you are right Gary. If that's not the case, we're going to have to look for them._"

"Don't worry; I know what I'm talking about," Gary said calmly, knowing that Ash had a knack of running into troubles-or in this case, trouble running into him.

* * *

Muddled Tunnel Entrance

"Hello? Are you awake? Can you speak to me?" a voice asked.

"Huh? Where am I? Who are you?" a sleepy muddled voice returned in complete disorientation.

"You're at the Muddled Tunnel Entrance. But you're a newcomer as far as my memory can recall," the first voice spoke back.

"Huh? A talking Pokémon? What's going on here?" the second voice asked with incomprehension.

"You're silly; you should know that all Pokémon can talk," the voice answered gleefully.

"Wha? A Pokémon? But I'm human!" the second voice exclaimed without a clue of what was going on at all.

"A human? But you look like a normal Pichu in every way!" the voice answered once again.

"Hold on a second… it's true!" The second voice said after examining himself and surprised at what had happened to him without any inexplicable reason whatsoever. "I really have turned into a Pokémon!"

"You're weird…" the first voice enunciated at the individual's constant questions and statements. "So what's your name?"

"My name? Umm, I think it's Ash… my mind is a bit fuzzy at the moment. I really have no idea of who I am besides my name…" Ash uttered as he scratched his head in mystification.

"Ash? Well, that's one funny name. Maybe you got amnesia or something. My name is Cinder the Cyndaquil by the way," Cinder introduced himself enthusiastically.

"Ash is a perfectly normal human name!" Ash yelled back in retaliation. Just as he was about to continue his defense of his own name, unexpected interruption prevented that from happening.

"Stop! Thieves, you will not get away!" a voice shouted. Two shadowy figures ran past Ash and Cinder, one of them knocking over Cinder in the process. They ran into the tunnel and disappeared into the blackness. Seconds later, a clearly angry and agitated purple-colored Kecleon ran into Ash.

"I am truly very sorry for the rude interruption, but those two thieves stole my wares for the fifth time this week! None of the Enforcer Squads are back from their missions and I'm too weak to fight them off myself," the Purple Kecleon said sadly. "At this rate, the shopliftings will continue until someone puts an end to their wrongdoings."

"Ash, are you thinking what I am thinking?" Cinder asked, eagerness present in his voice.

"Of course, we are going to help you Mr. Kecleon!" Ash proclaimed proudly. Then, the duo ran into the cave together. The old Kecleon sighed and silently wished the two vigilantes the best of luck.

* * *

Muddled Tunnel F1

"This underground tunnel really gives me a bad and unnerving feeling," Ash said as he sneezed as a result from the rather chilly air.

"That makes sense because since you're a Pichu, you would have an aversion to underground places," Cinder replied as he led the path.

"Oh, thanks," Ash said. The duo walked on into the dungeon until they ran into a wild Cubone. It was clear to the pair that the Lonely Pokémon in their path was not very pleased of trespassers.

"Hold it right there! You have trespassed into this tunnel and it is my duty to eliminate you from these premises!" the Cubone announced boldly while dramatically pointing his club at them. He then proceeded to tackle Ash, dealing quite the amount of pain for the Pichu.

"Ash, we have to attack him together if we want to take him down!" Cinder yelled as he readied his own Tackle attack. He rammed Cubone right into his torso and sent him into the ground, the result causing him to groan a bit but no serious damage was done. After a short pause, Cubone got up and brushed himself off for the second round.

"So that's all you got? Well, have some of this! Bone Club!" the Cubone then rushed towards Cinder and whacked him towards the ground with his bone weapon.

"Owowowowow!" Cinder yelled out in pain as he was hammered by the club that the Ground-type carried. After a few seconds though, he got up, his body jarring from the attack but just like the Cubone sentry, refused to give up.

_"This is bad…"_ Ash thought. Ash desperately wanted to do something to help his new friend but he couldn't as the Cubone was just clearly too powerful for the pair. Never before, in his amnesia affected memory, had he felt as helpless as this. Looking at his friend, he felt an inexplicable source of newfound power grow inside him.

"Quick Attack!" Ash yelled as he started glowing with bright white light, and barely a second later, he rushed towards Cubone with unparalleled speed and rammed into him with such force it knocked off Cubone's skull helmet.

"I always wondered what a Cubone's face looked like," Cinder mused as the question was never answered for decades.

"Yes! I leveled up!" Ash said. He then became a bit confused, "Wait… why did I just say that?"

"Don't worry, this happens to everyone, though nobody is sure why. Maybe it's a tradition?" Cinder shrugged. He was then interrupted by their defeated challenger groaning.

"He's regaining consciousness. It's best we get going before he attempts to impede our path again," Cinder recommended. Ash nodded without hesitation.

Making a quick getaway, the two friends ventured off into the dungeon looking for the two thieves. Along the way, they came into confrontation with a Diglett and a Nincada, which the duo quickly disposed of. Ash gained one level, while Cinder gained two. They were both at level seven. Their increased amount of experience allowed Cinder to learn Smokecreen and Ember while Ash learned Sweet Kiss and Thundershock. Both were very pleased with the new additions to their movesets even though Ash somehow accidentally shocked himself every time he used Thundershock. They then found the staircase to get to the second level-without any hesitation, the duo made their way up the stairs.

"Cinder, why do we have to go through stairs every single time in order to get to the next level of the dungeon?" Ash asked.

"I really have no idea," the Fire Mouse Pokémon replied. "I guess Arceus made it that way."

"Oh…" Ash said, falling into silence.

* * *

Muddled Tunnel F2

Ash and Cinder reached the next level and not before long, further resistance showed up to stop the duo from advancing in the form of yet another Pokémon.

"Halt! You will not disturb the Masters!" a very sturdy looking Geodude said as it stood in the path of Ash and Cinder.

"Let me take care of this Cinder," Ash advised, a hint of determination strong in his voice.

"Go for it Ash, I'm rooting for ya!" Cinder encouragingly cheered as he took to the sidelines and watched his partner take the fight to their enemy.

"Sweet Kiss!" Ash yelled. He then blew a kiss at the Geodude and upon being struck by the non-damaging move, it got very confused. It started attacking itself in complete confusion as Ash and Cinder left that section of the tunnel. It fainted promptly afterwards after constantly punching itself with its oversized arms.

"That was fast," Cinder laughed, amused at the fact that they didn't have to even raise a finger to end the battle.

"This tunnel is really long…" Ash complained, his feet aching with every step that he took.

"I see the stairs!" Cinder exclaimed as they approached the room with the stairs with eagerness to advance to the next floor.

"Finally!" Ash exclaimed. Making his approach to the room, he was just about to make a dash for the stairs when more unexpected visitors showed up once again.

"It's a monster house!" A bunch of random Pokémon voices said in harmony. Pokémon then started falling out of the sky and had both Ash and Cinder immediately surrounded on all sides.

"Eep!" Ash said as he ran back to Cinder. All of the ambushing Pokémon started following him in hot pursuit.

"Run back to the narrow walls! Then we can fight them one on one," Cinder recommended, realizing that there was no way they would be able to take on such a large mob.

"Got it!" Ash said as he ran back to the narrow walls.

After two hours of fighting that never seemed to end, Ash and Cinder were gasping out some words.

"Awesome! I leveled up!" Ash gasped with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion.

"This is amazing! I feel stronger already!" Cinder spoke in the exact same fashion as Ash. After taking their time to rest after their battle, the two regenerated their health so they were nearly as good as new. They were fully regenerated, except for the fact that they ran out of power points for their moves to use except for Ash's Thundershock and Cinder's Tackle. Luckily for them, they were fortunate enough to stumble across valuable loot; they found two elixir jars nearby along with some shiny coins that the letter P clearly visible on the heads side.

"Hey Cinder, what are those things?" Ash asked as he eyed the objects with a skeptical look. Cinder looked over at the items and immediately elictied a squeal of delight when he saw them.

"It's an Elixir! We can use this to regain power points! The coin is called Poké which is money. It's a shame we can't use it though, because we have nowhere to put it. Let's just use the Elixir and get to the third floor; shame that we'll have to leave what can potentially help us buy new items though," Cinder elaborated. The two Pokémon quickly drank the Elixirs, restored their power to full levels, and ran for the next floor.

* * *

Muddled Tunnel F3

"Hah! That weak purple wares seller can't do anything to us!" a Growlithe cackled after a looting run.

"Since all the Enforcers are on duty, we don't have to worry about getting caught!" said his henchman, a Lilipup. At that moment, Ash and Cinder crashed their party as the two pseudo-Enforcers ran into the room.

"Stop! We won't let you get away with stealing those wares!" Cinder informed fiercely.

"Yea, that's not right stealing from people you know." Ash added informatively.

"I thought all the Enforcers are off on duty!" Lilipup whined, hoping they didn't have to deal with the law.

"Those two aren't Enforcers. They don't have the badge," Growlithe said, after examining for the Enforcer badge on the two Pokémon. He found none on either Pokémon. "They are probably some Enforcer wannabes who think they can take thieves and outlaws and get away with it."

"Oh yeah? We'll show you!" Ash shoued angrily. Cinder got into battle stance, though he was a bit afraid. The Growlithe definitely looked more skilled and stronger than the typical enemies they had encountered earlier.

"Heheh, this is going to be fun. I'm going to enjoy beating the life out of you two kiddies," Growlithe snarled menacingly as he got ready for battle. Lilipup after a second of registering what was going on got into a battle stance as well.

"Ember!" Cinder cried out as he breathed out several small flames towards Lilipup. After impact, Lilipup yowled in pain from the flames that licked his body and fell to the ground. He got up, and the expression on the Normal-type's face was definitely one of the maddest expressions he had witnessed.

"Is that the best you can do?" He asked. Without warning, he tackled Cinder with all his might, and Cinder fell to the ground with a lot of force. After a second, he got up, but he was heavily injured.

"Ouch, I don't think I can take much more Ash," Cinder said. His flame was growing dimmer by the second. "I might have to sit this one out!"

"Don't worry, I can do this." Ash said confidently as he readied his ace in the hole. "Sweet kiss!" Then, he blew a kiss into the air and two angelic figures appeared out of nowhere and kissed the thieves on the cheek. They disappeared as soon as they appeared.

"Mommy? Is that you?" Lilipup asked, confused.

"Urgh you are not going to get away with this…" Growlithe said, talking as if he was drunk. His footing was a sign that he was completely disoriented and open to attack.

"Cinder, lets finish this," Ash said confidently.

"Indeed we should," Cinder agreed as he got up, his flame growing brighter than ever before.

The two Pokémon yelled their respective attacks in unison before launching them at the incapacitated Pokémon thieves as their attacks closed their targets. Before reaching the thieves though, their Ember and Thundershock moves merged together forming some sort of combined Electrical Flame. The thieves fell to the ground the instant they were struck head-on by the devastating combination, covered with 2nd degree burns. It was not a pretty sight.

"Owww…" Ash said, since he had minimal control over his electrical abilities. He would have to work on that later.

"We did it…" Cinder panted, fatigued. Unable to stay conscious much longer after the attacks and beatings it had thrown and taken, Cinder fainted on Ash's shoulder.

"Stop thieves!" A voice with a tone of authority echoed. Three very important looking Pokémon ran into the room, gleaming golden badges glistened on their backpacks. The two Pokémon were a Pikachu, a Bulbasaur, and a Squirtle. Then, the Purple Kecleon followed suit with the trio of professional-looking Pokémon.

"What's this?" the Bulbasaur asked in surprise.

"You're alright!" the Kecleon said with happiness.

"I'm alright, I guess. But Cinder is not," Ash said gesturing towards his fallen partner. "He may need some medical care."

"Does anyone here have a revival seed?" the Pikachu asked. He had a very commanding tone with his voice and seemed to be the leader of the group. His gaze was directed at Ash.

"I do boss," the Squirtle responded with respect. He then tossed the revival seed towards cinder and the moment it touched him, a golden light surrounded Cinder. Once the light faded, Cinder stood up with full consciousness, looking a lot better than before.

"Thanks for the save," Cinder said. Then he looked at the Enforcers and gasped in surprise upon seeing the police officers. "The Legendary Enforcers," he said, hardly believing the sight before his very eyes. Pikachu gave a curt nod in response.

"Let's tie up these crooks and head back to base," Pikachu said, his gaze never leaving Ash.

"Ok, I'm tired anyway," Bulbasaur said. Then, he flashed his Enforcer badge and with a sudden flash of blue light, the five Pokémon disappeared from the thieves' hideout.

* * *

"Woah…" Ash said. Cinder's eyes were shining, because he met the Legendary Enforcers. That didn't happen to everyone, but it happened to him. He started humming a very happy tune.

"Thank you for catching those crooks for me," the Purple Kecleon said. "As a reward and a token of gratitude from me, I decided to give you one free ware on your first visit to my shop. Also, you would make a very good Enforcer team, but you need to be recommended by someone. I would be happy to recommend you two if you want."

"A chance to be an Enforcer? Are you kidding me? Of course I want to help catch criminals and beat them silly!" Cinder spoke eagerly, jumping up and down from excitement. He then turned to Ash. "Ash, do you want to be an Enforcer with me? We make a good team, and I like you, even if you are a bit weird at times."

"If I join, I might find out who I really am…" Ash said pondering over his decision. After a while, he reached his decision. "I accept, and you and I will be the best Enforcer team ever, and the best that ever was!" Ash said.

"Yes!" Cinder said with deep happiness.

"Well, now that that's in order, you must choose a name for you team," Kecleon said.

"We should be named…uh, Team Flaming Thunder!" Cinder cheered out dramatically.

"Well, it is a bit flashy, but I guess it will do," Ash said, feeling somewhat neutral on the partially overdramatic name of their newly-formed squad.

"Well then, I will turn in your recommendation letter tomorrow. Be there at 3:00 sharp." Kecleon said as he turned to leave. Then he stopped. "Dang it, I forgot that you guys don't have an Enforcer badge. I guess you guys will have to backtrack through the dungeon and fight the hostile Pokémon again. Have a nice day!" he said as he ran off, leaving the two Pokémon to their own business.

Ash and Cinder groaned. It was said that the way back was a lot faster, and they hoped that it was true. All they wanted now was some well-deserved rest

* * *

**Well guys, that's the end of Chapter one of my Mystery dungeon fic! My other fic will be up shortly. Gary is a jerk, I know. Remember, READ, RATE, REVIEW!** **Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Space Enforcers**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. The right belongs to Nintendo.**

**AN: Hey guys, this is the first chapter of the New Year! Another thing I forgot to tell you is that in my PMD world, Pokémon keep all of their moves so the battles may be more diverse. Also, should I do every floor or should I skip to every other floor when the levels get longer? Please send me a PM or tell me in a review. It would really help me. Other than that, Enjoy!**

**Beta Reader's Note: Sorry if this isn't the best of my editing. I'm in my last year of university and it's anything but stress-free. I haven't really gotten any writing done for the last while and thus I haven't really practiced my writing skills in quite some time.**

* * *

**Enforcer HQ**

Two Pokémon, a Cyndaquil and a Pichu were seen walking up to a Metal Dome perched upon a hillside. They paused right outside the heavy gates composed of a strange type of metal and waited, as if they were waiting someone to answer the door for them.

"Well, this is it I believe," Ash said, craning his head up as he viewed the dome's design. Two words were visible on the door and it read "The Enforcers".

"Finally! Today is the day we will become a fully-fledged team!" Cinder cried out with excitement. He had been talking about the team nonstop since he woke up.

"Yes, yes we will but please keep it down. You've been bugging me about it ever since you got out of bed this morning," Ash said getting a little annoyed at his to-be partner's antics.

"But Ash…" Cinder whined with impatience evident in his voice. "I can't help myself. I have been looking forward to this day my entire life!" Ash suddenly clutched the sides head, writhing in pain. A ghostly flashback about a young boy holding a Pokeball and saying that he would be the greatest Pokémon Master entered Ash's mind. It disappeared as soon as it came, leaving Ash desperately trying to recall the memory back as if it was a bad dream he feared of, yet was something that intrigued him to great lengths.

"Ash?" Cinder asked, concerned about his friend's welfare. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ash grunted. "I just had a small headache, that's all." The second he finished his sentence, the heavy metal doors opened slowly and a Purple Kecleon emerged.

"Ah, hello boys. They are expecting you. I filled out your recommendation letters and gave it to them. They were very impressed with your performance, to say the least. Also, don't forget to visit my shop when you have time. Bye!" the Purple Kecleon hurriedly finished as he scurried back to his shop. The two Pokémon that were left outside the door were then faced with a large dark pathway before them. The crackling of the fires emanating brightly from the torches could be heard.

"Well, you know it's time," Cinder whispered. "Let's do this."

"Let's go then," Ash spoke in reply. Both he and Cinder walked down the long dark pathway illuminated by a row of torches hanging from the walls. After a long trek that seemed to last forever for the two Pokémon, they came across a Muk.

"Ash and Cinder I presume?" the sludge-like entity said with a very authoritative sounding voice.

"Yes sir!" the two soon-to-be Enforcers said.

"And before you two get any questions, I am not the leader, nor is this the true Enforcer base. I am merely the Recruitment Officer and this is First Stop. I've heard many things about you two and I am quite impressed from what they've said about the both of you."

"What's First Stop?" Ash asked, feeling a bit confused and lost at the term.

The Muk cleared his throat before explaining the necessary details to the two new recruits. "Well lad, unlike the Explorers and the Rescue teams, we do not show our recruits our main base when they first join. They are put at First Stop instead, for our location is confidential. At First Stop, you shall learn how to fight more effectively, how keep a cool head in any situation, and my favorite, how to live on the land. You will stay at First Stop for about four months. Any other questions?"

"Are there any other recruits besides us?" Cinder asked with interest. Muk's face darkened considerably after hearing his question.

"To be honest, you are our first recruits in over a year. Pokémon are getting more into crime and being an Enforcer isn't as appealing to young Pokémon anymore." The Poison-type Pokémon released a distressed sigh, knowing that they were running short on police units as time passed. "Now, everyone wants to be an Explorer and join the ranks of that… Wigglytuff."

"Well sir, I think me and my partner are ready to start our training," Ash spoke as an expression of confidence was plastered across his face. Cinder gave a thumbs up and showed that he was ready for the training too.

"Well then, let's get started!" Muk said happily. He then proceeded to lead Ash and Pikachu into a dark room and proceeded to close the door.

"Is this part of training?" Cinder asked nervously, as he was beginning to sweat from anxiety, fear and intimidation. Something wasn't feeling right to him…

"Ha! Surprise attack!" Muk laughed as he launched a Sludge Bomb towards the duo.

"Eeek!" Cinder screamed and he jumped right onto Ash's arms. Ash was forced to use extra effort to dodge the Sludge Bomb attack. A part of the sludge got onto Ash's leg and he was severely crippled from the toxins that began to wear through his body like wildfire. Cinder saw what he done and felt very guilty about it.

"I'm really sorry Ash, it's all my fault…," Cinder apologized in a dejected manner.

"Don't worry about it Cinder, right now we have a Muk to beat," Ash returned determinedly. Muk then used Gunk Shot as his next offensive move and spat out a plentiful amount of purple globs at the two friends.

"Ember!" Cinder said as he shot a good abundance of small flames from his mouth to counter the poison based move.

"Thundershock!" Ash said as he used his electrical powers to try and help out his partner. Unfortunately for them, Muk was on a whole other level so his Gunk Shot easily blasted through the combined attacks and hit Ash and Cinder. They were blasted to a wall, nearly knocked out. However, they were not willing to give up so slowly and so, they struggled up to their footing. Muk looked on with bewilderment as no rookie or rookies for that matter were able to withstand his Gunk Shot. It came to his realization that he had to go all out on them.

"Impressive laddies, but don't think I'm going to let up," Muk warned as he laughed in a sinister manner. "Looks like I'll have to give it my all to drown both of you out."

"We don't expect you to," Ash shot back with determination evident in his voice.

"Yes, and we will beat you!" Cinder roared in complement with Ash's words. Was it just me or were his flames growing brighter? Cinder also seemed to have that typical madman type of look to him.

"Come at me then boys," Muk said clearly enjoying this battle. Despite his badly infected and wounded leg, Ash got ready to attack.

"Quick Attack!" Ash said as he glowed in bright white light and he rushed towards the monster composed of violet-colored sludge, ramming right into it. Muk was knocked back a bit, but the attack felt more like a poke to him as opposed to something that would inflict pain on the Poison-type. Ash retreated back to Cinder, frustrated that his attack did not seem to do anything.

"Ember!" Cinder practically screamed as he shot out several orbs of red-hot flames towards Muk. The Sludge Pokémon widened his eyes and realized that this was a blaze empowered move and moved quickly to avoid the attack. He did not move fast enough though, and some of the flames scorched him.

"Well, it has been a good run, but I think it's time to finish this. Minimize!" the purple glob bellowed as he shrank to microscopic size and became nearly invisible to the naked eye. Subsequently, he grew back to original size right behind Cinder and Ash and shot multiple Gunk Shots at them. Both of them could not take the scuffle anymore and promptly fainted afterword. A dark figure came in and surveyed the scene.

"You were a bit harsh on them don't you think?" it said.

"Well… maybe a little…" Muk said a bit sheepishly, "But they have a lot of potential. And you know the old saying, an instructor has to be harsh on the recruits!" He finished with a low-toned chuckle

"I see that… Maybe we should reduce their time at First Stop. They seem to be our best recruits in the history of the Enforcers besides the Legendary Enforcers."

"Right now they need training so they can achieve their potential. There's no room for any mistakes here," Muk suggested.

"No… this is a special case. They are going to skip First Stop," the figure rejected his recommendation.

The Poison-type Pokémon narrowed one of his eyes. "Are you sure? I mean they are only rookies. They don't know everything about the Enforcers yet. Do you really want to force this on them?"

"I have no choice. The Criminals are spreading their ranks fast. We simply do not have enough active Enforcers to combat them. We need every able unit we can get. And I will teach them personally about surviving in the wild. They seem to be able to keep a cool head in any situation already," the figure said as he resurveyed the scene before him. "They seemed to take the surprise attack rather well, unlike most recruits."

"Well Ash did, the Cinder fellow jumped into his arms, screaming like a little baby Pokémon," Muk said, laughing. He ceased his laughter moments later before continuing with, "You are really going to have them skip First Stop? That has never been done before, even by the Legends themselves."

"Desperate times require desperate measures," the figure said plainly. "And these times, my friend, are desperate. There simply just isn't enough time to make careful preparations."

"Well, I cannot deny that, but please, teach them well," was Muk's simple last prayer before the massive pile of living sludge quietly slithered away.

* * *

**Dream World; Inside Ash's Dream**

"Ash…" a voice called out with a monotonous echo.

"Where… where am I?" Ash asked. He couldn't move, and he could only see black as far as his eyes could survey. Everywhere he looked, it was pure darkness. Suddenly, he could see a faint outline, of someone? Something? He tried to go towards the figure, but he couldn't move. He then felt tired, very tired, and he closed his eyes.

**Reality; First Stop**

Ash slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head and realized Cinder still knocked out cold.

"Urgg," he moaned with a mixture of fatigue and sleepiness. "I feel like I have been hit by a herd of charging Tauros."

"Well that is good, because that means Muk was doing his job properly," a voice behind him said heartily. Ash turned a saw a Lucario making his way over to him.

"Here, take this. It should help you a lot throughout your adventures. And I have something for your partner too," The Aura Pokémon instructed. He then tossed an oran berry towards Ash and he put a revival seed on Cinder's snout. Instantly, Cinder's body was engulfed with bright yellow-colored light and he soon regained consciousness. Ash popped the oran berry into his mouth and was filled with the greatest sensation he had ever felt in his life. His wounds instantly healed and he looked like he was ready for yet another battle.

"Thanks, but who are you?" Cinder asked questioningly, eager to learn about the identity of the stranger.

The Lucario laughed and he simply replied with, "My friend Cinder, I am the leader of the Enforcers. And I am here to take you out of First Stop."

* * *

**Bah, sorry guys for the late update. I was feeling a bit under the weather during the Christmas Season so I couldn't update. And this piece of writing might not be my best due to a lot of stress. For those of you wondering about my other story, expect an update in about a week at most. Other than that, please review! Reviews= Faster update! Please tell me what you think about my story, thanks. Also, I have recently joined the ADV forums. The link is .com. It's a pretty cool website and cool people are there. I would highly recommend it so join the site. Even if you are not an Advanceshipper we still talk about other stuff, so please consider joining. Well, this is all I have to tell you guys so, Star signing out.**


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